


Waiting To Save The World: Kelsey Winslow

by Guardian_of_Hope



Series: Strangers are Friends [2]
Category: Power Rangers, Power Rangers Lightspeed Rescue
Genre: F/M, Family, Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2011-06-13
Updated: 2011-06-13
Packaged: 2017-10-20 09:41:34
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 2,027
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/211390
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Guardian_of_Hope/pseuds/Guardian_of_Hope
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Kelsey Winslow, Yellow Lightspeed Ranger</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Kelsey didn't like to second guess herself. Second guesses and doubts got a person hurt in the sports she enjoyed. Still, when she was led to her room on the Aquabase and she was alone, Kelsey found her mind wouldn't stop racing. She put her bag on one of the two bunks, the unmade one, and wondered where Dana had gone. The hiss of the opening door answered her. "Hi," Dana said with a shy smile.

"Hi," Kelsey replied.

"Big day," Dana said, stepping into the room nervously.

"Yeah," Kelsey replied as she opened her bag, "You do know that I'm not going to bite, right?"

Dana laughed a little, "No more than I will, I guess."

Kelsey began to put her clothes away, "So, your dad runs the base? Have you always worked here?"

"Not really," Dana replied, "I wanted to, I grew up with Lightspeed. It's why I became a doctor, so that I could have a job on the base. I never expected Dad to want to put me on the Ranger team. I mean, I dreamed about it."

"Yeah," Kelsey said when Dana trailed off. "So, do you think we can do this without killing each other?"

"What, share a room?" Dana asked with a laugh. "I can share with anybody. You should have met my college roommates. Just…don't leave your dirty things in the bathroom. It's a bit of a pet peeve for me."

"I can do that," Kelsey replied, "You're not a nudist, are you?"

"No," Dana said with a laugh.

"Good, I'm not opposed to skin," Kelsey said, "but there are limits." She hung her things up, or put them in the drawers, and turned to Dana, "I'm hungry, where do you feed people around here?"

"I'll show you the mess hall," Dana replied.

They left their room and hurried through the corridors, passing people in uniforms and lab coats who all seemed to stare at them. Finally, Dana led her into a room that looked similar to a cafeteria. "It is buffet style," Dana said, "look, there are the guys."

Kelsey nodded, followed Dana through the line and joined the others. They seemed to have as much trouble finding a topic for conversation as she and Dana had. After a few moments, Kelsey gave it a try, "I'm originally from up north, Blue Bay Harbor, I just came down here for college. What about you guys?"

The Asian man, Chad, nodded, "I grew up in Mariner Bay, I left for college but came back to work at Ocean World so that I could save money for my doctoral studies."

"What kind of doctor?" Dana asked.

"Marine biology," Chad replied.

"Oh," Dana looked at her tray, "My dad and I moved around a bit, him being military and all, but we've been here in Mariner Bay the longest. I'm an RN, but I've been putting myself through med school too."

"I was born here," Carter told them, "I always wanted to be a fire fighter too."

"My dad used to volunteer," Dana offered, "our family's always been in the rescue services, until dad decided he wanted military experience. Then we got the Lightspeed project."

"Well," Joel said, "I'm from Texas; I just came out here for the sky and the pretty ladies."

Kelsey glanced at the green ranger, but he was looking over two tables at the lady named Angela Fairweather. From the look on Joel's face, Kelsey thought that Ms. Fairweather's dislike was a challenge for him to overcome. It would be entertaining, at least. "So what are you studying, Kelsey?" Chad asked.

"Kinesiology and athletics," Kelsey replied, "I'm going to be an active competitor as long as I can, and then I'd like to coach others. I volunteer with one of the local youth sports programs when I can."

"I never went to college," Joel said, "I just wanted to fly. Thought about the military, or flying jumbo jets, but it's too constricting for me. Being the Sky Cowboy is fun, keeps me in the air."

"So, if you weren't here, you'd just be doing air shows?" Dana asked, "Is that all you want out of life?"

"As long as I can fly," Joel replied, picking up his glass, "I really don't care about the details."


	2. Chapter 2

Kelsey entered the mess hall and smiled at the sight of Ryan, flanked by Carter and Dana, at the section that had become the Ranger's table. She fixed her tray and sat down across from them. "Hi, Ryan, hi Dana, hi Carter," she said. "So, Joel tried a new tactic for Ms. Fairweather this morning."

"Is that why she was screaming?" Carter asked.

"Yes," Kelsey replied, "apparently, she doesn't like ferrets."

"Childhood trauma," Dana said, "her dad bred the things until one got rabies."

"Ouch," Kelsey said. "Well, she got him back; she did something to his plane."

"That explains the feathers," Ryan muttered.

"What?" Kelsey asked.

Ryan pointed over her shoulder with his fork, "Feathers, Joel's covered in them."

Kelsey turned, and sure enough, Joel was standing the door to the mess hall with feathers sticking out of his jacket, jeans, boots and hat. The green ranger was utterly miserable. Kelsey bit her lip, lifting her hand to hide her smile. Chad slipped past Joel, then stopped and offered Joel a feather. Kelsey couldn't hear what Chad said, but she would bet it was something along the lines of, "You dropped this." Carter began to make choking noises, then Dana snorted and Kelsey was gone. She gripped the edge of her chair as she laughed, not sure she'd be able to keep herself from falling out of her chair if she didn't. Others in the mess hall noticed the Rangers' attention and began to laugh at Joel. After giving their group a glare, Joel left.

Chad joined them with his tray, "It's so wrong to find that so funny," he said, claiming a seat.

"Ms. Fairweather's revenge?" Kelsey asked.

"Not exactly," Chad replied, "Angela put a voice modulator on his radio so that he sounds like a Chipmunk. The feathers, well, someone rigged the shower with those."

"That is awesome," Carter said, "I wonder who pulled it off."

"Andros and Carlos were here to consult with Dad," Dana offered, "Carlos used to be a green."

"Yeah, but how'd he do it without being seen," Chad said, "unless they teleport straight into the conference room, _everybody_ knows when the Astros visit."

"Nobody but the Rangers have access to our rooms," Carter said, "I know that, we had those morpher locks put on the doors after that girl snuck into mine."

Grins were exchanged, Carter had been so enraged at the naked girl in his room that he had frog marched her off base and dumped her, the sheet he'd wrapped her up in and her clothes at the guard shack. It had gotten him a lot of respect, and showed that, yes, there was a human underneath the uniform. "Ok, so a Ranger did it," Dana said, "or at least helped."

"Which of us could do that?" Kelsey asked, "I'm lucky I can get the water temperature right."

Ryan lifted his fork, "I did it."

"What, you, how?" Dana asked.

"You think I lived in a cave my whole life?" Ryan asked dryly, "Diabolico sent me to a boarding school. Some of those guys were pretty vindictive."

"What did Joel do to you?" Carter asked.

"That was a warning," Ryan replied, standing up. "He annoys me." He carried his tray over to the tray return and left.

"Ok," Kelsey said slowly, "That was interesting."

"You can say that again," Dana agreed.

"Why do I suddenly have the feeling that we're going to have a prank war?" Carter asked, rubbing his forehead.

Dana reached into her jacket pocket and pulled out a bottle, "Here, take a deep breath and two of these. You get so tense, it's no wonder you have headaches. Besides, as long as they don't target you, it'll be fine."

"But Dana," Carter said, "Ryan's _my_ roommate, I'm collateral damage."

"I'll trade," Chad said, "stick the two of them together. Hopefully they won't kill each other."

"Dad might go for it," Dana said, "but I'm not sure."

"Grayson!" Captain Mitchell bellowed from the mess hall door. He was drenched. "Your Green Ranger is at it again."

"Ever notice that when we do something right, we're his, but when someone gets in trouble they're mine?" Carter muttered. He stood up as Dana snickered, "We were just discussing that, sir. Ryan apparently has similar inclinations, and he does not care for Joel. Chad suggested we should force them to room together and hope that they manage to not kill each other. That and enforce the no pranks room outside their quarters is all we've thought of so far."

Mitchell paused for a moment, then nodded firmly, "All right, Grayson, Lee, see to it." He turned and left, his squelching footsteps echoing in the silence.

Carter waited until Mitchell's footsteps couldn't be heard before he sank back into his seat. With a thump, his head became billowed in his hands. After a moment, he sat up and looked from Dana to Kelsey and finally at Chad. "I'm not sure I can handle this," he said.

"Come on," Dana said, "let's go."

Kelsey looked at Chad, "Want help moving your stuff?"

"Yes, thank you," Chad replied. "After lunch."


	3. Chapter 3

Kelsey slumped down on the couch in her new apartment, feeling the bruises of the final battle but not motivated enough to move. "You ok?" Dana asked as she sat down in one of the chairs.

"I'd be better if I didn't have to move," Kelsey replied. "Why didn't any of the guys show up?"

"Because you told them not to," Dana reminded her.

"Chad had that college stuff he was worried about," Kelsey said, "and Carter's been talking about going back in the fire department since Bansheera went boom. Joel's a wimp and Ryan can't lift heavy things. What was the point? I'd probably have wound up doing most of the moving anyway."

"Like I didn't help at all?" Dana asked.

"You helped," Kelsey replied, "I appreciate that."

"What do we do now?" Dana asked.

"We could order pizza," Kelsey offered, "I've got margarita mix in the freezer. Have a girls' night and then take our hangovers out on the guys."

"Evil," Dana said, clearly thinking it over, "I like it. But we should call Angela. She'd probably enjoy a chance to get away from base."

"I want to know when she gave up and agreed to go out with Joel," Kelsey agreed. She reached over and picked up her phone, in moments, she was talking to Angela Fairweather, "Hey Angela, this is Kelsey."

"Hello Kelsey," Angela said, "can I help you with something?"

"Well, Dana and I were talking about having a girls' night and thought we'd invite you. We have margaritas and were talking about ordering pizzas." Kelsey said cheerfully.

"You want to invite me?" Angela said.

"Well, we're curious about Joel," Kelsey said, "I figured that if we got you to do shots we might actually learn something."

Angela was quiet for a moment, and then she laughed, "Sure, I could do with a break. As for pizza, just meat or pepperoni, I'll be there in thirty minutes."

"Great, see you then," Kelsey said, she hung up. "We have thirty minutes."

"Why did you tell her we were curious about Joel?" Dana asked.

"Because, Angela likes honesty," Kelsey said. "She also likes meaty pizzas, what do you want?"

"Stuffed crust?" Dana asked, "I like meat pizza on occasion."

"Would you please find the box in the kitchen labeled _in vino veratas?_ There's more alcohol in it." Kelsey asked, "I'll order the pizzas, since I'm paying for them anyways."

"All right," Dana said, standing up, "by the way, 'Truth in wine?'"

"I wanted it to be memorable," Kelsey said as she began dialing the pizza parlor.

Dana found the box and found herself impressed with the variety. "Tonight," she murmured, picking up a bottle of Captain Morgan, "is going to be fun."


End file.
